Concrete ramp repair under way for $670M Mississippi River BridgeFred Weber is replacing concrete along an estimated 0.25-mile stretch of a ramp section for the $670 million Mississippi River Bridge project. The work is a result of the Illinois Transportation Department's discovery of a missing cross-slope on the curving ramp's surface. "The outside of the curve was not high enough," said Jeff Church, the Illinois DOT's implementation engineer for the East St. Louis area. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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TransCanada CEO to discuss Keystone XL with State Dept. officialTransCanada President and CEO Russ Girling and Kerri-Ann Jones, the State Department's assistant secretary for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs, are holding closed-door discussions about the approval prospects for its Keystone XL pipeline. Any decision about the project won't come until late March, the department has said. Girling also believes the pipeline will secure approval "very soon." The Hill/E2 Wire blog
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Making the Most of Parcel Boundary DataFor a growing list of industries, the importance and widening use of parcel boundary and property data continues to grow. Thankfully, alternatives to traditional parcel acquisition efforts are now available through cost-effective and ready to use solutions. Read our guide to smart decision-making using parcel boundary data

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Technology & Trends

Tappan Zee Bridge to use "bubble curtains"New York's Tappan Zee Bridge will be using the same "bubble curtains" technique used in California's San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to protect fish from construction noise. "Monitoring indicated that the bubble curtain was successful in reducing sound pressure levels and likely impacts to fish," according to a 2007 California report. "It certainly suggests the technology and practices are out there to build a bridge without causing significant in-river impacts. Our goal is to make sure that’s exactly what happens if the Tappan Zee Bridge is built," Riverkeeper attorney Phillip Musegaas said. The Journal News (Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, N.Y.)
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The young CEOs who are out to change the worldA new generation of founder CEOs are shaking up the way we work, play and shop, and Fortune's editors have profiled 11 of the biggest trailblazers. The list includes former Apple designer Tony Fadell, who sells smart thermostats; Belcampo founder Anya Fernald, who is figuring out ways to scale up the sustainable-food movement; and Perry Chen, whose Kickstarter website helps other visionaries bootstrap their big ideas. CNNMoney/Fortune
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How a stint in India helps execs reach the next levelIndian consumers demand quality, long-lasting products at low prices, says Michael Boneham, former president of Ford India. That makes the subcontinent a challenging environment for Western executives, but also one that can make them better leaders and strategists. "If you are successful in the Indian market, you can be successful anywhere in the world," Boneham says. Knowledge@Wharton
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Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by Concrete SmartBrief readers in the past week.

House panel to discuss "federal role in America's infrastructure"Federal involvement in spending on transportation infrastructure will be the topic of a hearing Wednesday by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa. "Transportation and infrastructure have long been recognized as federal responsibilities shared with the states," Shuster said. A thorough understanding of the government's role "is critical to ensuring U.S. economic growth and global competitiveness," Shuster said. The Hill/Transportation blog
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ACI News

NCEES seeks civil engineers for online surveyNCEES is seeking licensed civil engineers to participate in an online survey to update the specifications of the PE Civil exam. ACI is contacting its members to ask them to take part in this important study to ensure that civil engineering licensing exams remain relevant to current practice. For access to the online survey, visit ncees.org/civilsurvey. The survey takes about an hour, but you do not have to complete it in a single session. Responses must be received by Feb. 25.